Percutaneous coronary intervention versus medical therapy in stable angina: a matched cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: It is uncertain whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in addition to optimal medical therapy (OMT) can reduce adverse clinical events in the long term as compared with OMT alone in patients with pure stable angina. METHODS: We enrolled patients from 2006 to 2010 using the Korean national insurance data. 58 742 patients with pure stable angina with no history of myocardial infarction (MI) nor PCI were candidate, and finally, 5673 patients in the PCI plus OMT group and 5673 in the OMT alone group were selected with 1:1 propensity matching. They were followed up for 9.3 years. RESULTS: Primary endpoint, a composite of MI, stroke and cardiac death rate was significantly higher in the PCI group than in the OMT group, 13.5/1000 vs 11.5/1000 person-year with HR of 1.18 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.32, p=0.003). Individual event rate of MI and cardiac death rate was higher in the PCI group than in the OMT group at 9.3 years, 2.9 vs 2.1 (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.7, p=0.009) and 4.8 vs 3.4/1000 person-year (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.69, p=0.001), respectively. Revascularisation and total death occurred more in the PCI group as compared with the OMT group, 30.3 vs 8.2 (HR 3.64, 95% CI 3.27 to 4.05, p<0.001) and 13.5 vs 10.6/1000 person-year (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.40, p<0.001), respectively. In subgroup analysis, the same trend of more event in the PCI group was detected. CONCLUSIONS: PCI plus OMT was associated with higher rate of primary endpoint of MI, stroke, cardiac death as compared with OMT alone in patients with pure stable angina at 9.3-year follow-up in large population.

Long-term impact of baseline anaemia on clinical outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention in stable angina.

BACKGROUND: In patients with stable angina (SA), the clinical benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reside almost exclusively within the realm of symptomatic improvement rather than improvement in hard clinical endpoints. The benefits of PCI should always be balanced against its potential short-term and long-term risks. Common among these risks is the presence of anaemia and its interaction with poor clinical outcomes and increased morbidity; this study aims to elucidate the impact of anaemia on long-term clinical outcomes of this patient group. METHODS: From Danish national registries, we identified patients with SA treated with PCI who had a haemoglobin measurement maximum of 90 days prior to PCI procedure. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin <130 and <120 g/L in men and women, respectively. Follow-up was up to 3 years after PCI, and Cox regression was used to estimate HRs with 95% CIs of hospitalisation due to bleeding, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and all-cause mortality in patients with anaemia compared with patients without anaemia. RESULTS: Of 2837 included patients, 14.6% had anaemia prior to PCI. During follow-up, 93 patients (3.3%) had a bleeding episode, which was higher in patients with anaemia (5.8%) compared with patients without anaemia (2.8%). A total of 213 patients (7.5%) developed ACS, which was higher in patients with anaemia (10.6%) compared with patients without anaemia (7.0%). Furthermore, 185 patients (6.5%) died, with a mortality rate of 18.1% in patients with anaemia compared with 4.5% in patients without anaemia. In multivariable analyses, anaemia was associated with a significantly increased risk of bleeding (HR 1.69; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.73; P 0.033), ACS (HR 1.47; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.10; P 0.031) and all-cause mortality (HR 2.41; 95% CI 1.73 to 3.30; P <0.001). CONCLUSION: Anaemia in patients with SA was significantly associated with bleeding, ACS and all-cause mortality following PCI.

Prospective cohort study of elderly patients with coronary artery disease: impact of frailty on quality of life and outcome.

BACKGROUND: Elderly, frail patients are often excluded from clinical trials so there is lack of data regarding optimal management when they present with symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this observational study was to evaluate an unselected elderly population with CAD for the occurrence of frailty, and its association with quality of life (QoL) and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Consecutive patients aged ≥80 years presenting with CAD were prospectively assessed for frailty (Fried frailty phenotype (FFP), Edmonton frailty scale (EFS)), QoL (Short form survey (SF-12)) and comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI)). Patients were re-assessed at 4 months to determine any change in frailty and QoL status as well as the clinical outcome. RESULTS: One hundred fifty consecutive patients with symptomatic CAD were recruited in the study. The mean age was 83.7±3.2 years, 99 (66.0%) were men. The clinical presentation was stable angina in 68 (45.3%), the remainder admitted with an acute coronary syndrome including 21 (14.0%) with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Frailty was present in 28% and 26% by FFP and EFS, respectively, and was associated with a significantly higher CCI (7.5±2.4 in frail, 6.2±2.2 in prefrail, 5.9±1.6 in those without frailty, p=0.005). FFP was significantly related to the physical composite score for QoL, while EFS was significantly related to the mental composite score for QoL (p=0.003). Treatment was determined by the cardiologist: percutaneous coronary intervention in 51 (34%), coronary artery bypass graft surgery in 15 (10%) and medical therapy in 84 (56%). At 4 months, 14 (9.3%) had died. Frail participants had the lowest survival. Cardiovascular symptom status and the mental composite score of QoL significantly improved (52.7±11.5 at baseline vs 55.1±10.6 at follow-up, p=0.04). However, overall frailty status did not significantly change, nor the physical health composite score of QoL (37.2±11.0 at baseline vs 38.5±11.3 at follow-up, p=0.27). CONCLUSIONS: In patients referred to hospital with CAD, frailty is associated with impaired QoL and a high coexistence of comorbidities. Following cardiac treatment, patients had improvement in cardiovascular symptoms and mental component of QoL.

Long-Term Follow-Up in Patients With Stable Angina and Unobstructed Coronary Arteries Undergoing Intracoronary Acetylcholine Testing.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognosis of a large cohort of patients with stable angina and unobstructed coronaries undergoing acetylcholine spasm testing. BACKGROUND: Coronary artery spasm can be found in up to 60% of patients with symptoms of myocardial ischemia despite unobstructed coronary arteries. METHODS: Consecutive symptomatic patients with unobstructed coronary arteries undergoing acetylcholine testing to detect epicardial or microvascular coronary spasm were prospectively enrolled. After a median follow-up period of 7.2 years (6.5 to 7.9 years), data regarding mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, repeat coronary angiography, recurrent symptoms, and quality of life were obtained in 736 patients (57% women, mean age 62 ± 12 years). RESULTS: In total, 55 deaths (7.5%), 8 nonfatal myocardial infarctions (1.4%), and 12 strokes (2.2%) occurred during the follow-up period. Recurrent symptoms were reported by 64% of patients, and repeat coronary angiography was performed in 12% of cases. Multivariate analysis revealed epicardial spasm as a predictor of nonfatal myocardial infarction (hazard ratio: 14.469; 95% confidence interval: 1.735 to 120.646) and repeat angiography (hazard ratio: 1.703; 95% confidence interval: 1.062 to 2.732), whereas patients with microvascular spasm more often had recurrent angina at follow-up (hazard ratio: 1.311; 95% confidence interval: 1.013 to 1.697). CONCLUSIONS: In this long-term follow-up study, the overall prognosis of patients with coronary spasm was favorable. Patients with epicardial spasm were at increased risk for myocardial infarction and repeat angiography, while microvascular spasm was associated with recurrent angina. Acetylcholine testing may help identify patients at increased risk for adverse cardiac events among this overall low-risk population.

Survival of Patients With Angina Pectoris Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Intracoronary Pressure Wire Guidance.

BACKGROUND: Intracoronary pressure wire measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) provides decision-making guidance during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, limited data exist on the effect of FFR on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with stable angina pectoris. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the usage of FFR and all-cause mortality in patients with stable angina undergoing PCI. METHODS: Data was used from the SCAAR (Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry) on all patients undergoing PCI (with or without FFR guidance) for stable angina pectoris in Sweden between January 2005 and March 2016. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoints were stent thrombosis (ST) or restenosis and peri-procedural complications. The primary model was multilevel Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted with Kernel-based propensity score matching. RESULTS: In total, 23,860 patients underwent PCI for stable angina pectoris; of these, FFR guidance was used in 3,367. After a median follow-up of 4.7 years (range 0 to 11.2 years), the FFR group had lower adjusted risk estimates for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73 to 0.89; p < 0.001), and ST and restenosis (hazard ratio: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.96; p = 0.022). The number of peri-procedural complications did not differ between the groups (adjusted odds ratio: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.77 to 1.19; p = 0.697). CONCLUSIONS: In this observational study, the use of FFR was associated with a lower risk of long-term mortality, ST, and restenosis in patients undergoing PCI for stable angina pectoris. This study supports the current European and American guidelines for the use of FFR during PCI and shows that intracoronary pressure wire guidance confers prognostic benefit in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Low-Attenuation Noncalcified Plaque on Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography Predicts Myocardial Infarction: Results From the Multicenter SCOT-HEART Trial (Scottish Computed Tomography of the HEART).

BACKGROUND: The future risk of myocardial infarction is commonly assessed using cardiovascular risk scores, coronary artery calcium score, or coronary artery stenosis severity. We assessed whether noncalcified low-attenuation plaque burden on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) might be a better predictor of the future risk of myocardial infarction. METHODS: In a post hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized controlled trial of CCTA in patients with stable chest pain, we investigated the association between the future risk of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction and low-attenuation plaque burden (% plaque to vessel volume), cardiovascular risk score, coronary artery calcium score or obstructive coronary artery stenoses. RESULTS: In 1769 patients (56% male; 58±10 years) followed up for a median 4.7 (interquartile interval, 4.0-5.7) years, low-attenuation plaque burden correlated weakly with cardiovascular risk score (r=0.34; P<0.001), strongly with coronary artery calcium score (r=0.62; P<0.001), and very strongly with the severity of luminal coronary stenosis (area stenosis, r=0.83; P<0.001). Low-attenuation plaque burden (7.5% [4.8-9.2] versus 4.1% [0-6.8]; P<0.001), coronary artery calcium score (336 [62-1064] versus 19 [0-217] Agatston units; P<0.001), and the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (54% versus 25%; P<0.001) were all higher in the 41 patients who had fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction. Low-attenuation plaque burden was the strongest predictor of myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.60 (95% CI, 1.10-2.34) per doubling; P=0.014), irrespective of cardiovascular risk score, coronary artery calcium score, or coronary artery area stenosis. Patients with low-attenuation plaque burden greater than 4% were nearly 5 times more likely to have subsequent myocardial infarction (hazard ratio, 4.65; 95% CI, 2.06-10.5; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients presenting with stable chest pain, low-attenuation plaque burden is the strongest predictor of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction. These findings challenge the current perception of the supremacy of current classical risk predictors for myocardial infarction, including stenosis severity. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01149590.

Complex high-risk and indicated percutaneous coronary intervention for stable angina: Does operator volume influence patient outcome?

BACKGROUND: Complex high-risk and indicated revascularization using percutaneous coronary intervention (CHIP-PCI) is an emerging concept that is poorly studied. OBJECTIVE: To define temporal changes in CHIP-PCI volumes, and the relationship between operator CHIP-PCI volume and patient outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were analyzed on all CHIP-PCI procedures undertaken for stable angina in England and Wales between 2007 and 2014. Operator volume data was available for 2012-14. CHIP-PCI was defined by patient characteristics (age ≥80years, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction <30%, previous CABG, or chronic renal failure) and/or by procedural characteristics (left main PCI, chronic total occlusion PCI, LV support, use of rotational atherectomy or laser atherectomy). CHIP-PCI as a percentage of total PCI increased from 28.1% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2014 (P < .001). Between 2012 and 2014, a total of 30,268 CHIP-PCI cases were performed. Total operator volume varied from 1 to 580 cases with median total operator volume of 29 cases. Higher operator volumes were associated with a greater degree of patient comorbidity and increasing procedural complexity. After adjustment for baseline difference, in-hospital major bleeding (P < .001 for trend), access site complications (P < .001) and coronary perforation (P = .002) were associated with increasing operator CHIP-PCI volumes. However, the frequency of in-hospital death (P = .394) and 12-month mortality (P = .638) were similar across the volume quartiles. Higher volumes quartiles were associated with a greater likelihood of same day discharge (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: CHIP-PCI cases are an increasingly large population in contemporary PCI practice. Higher operator volumes were not associated with improved 12-month survival. CONDENSED ABSTRACT: Data were analyzed on all complex high-risk and indicated revascularization using percutaneous coronary intervention (CHIP-PCI) procedures in England and Wales between 2007 and 2014. CHIP-PCI as a percentage of total PCI increased from 28.1% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2014 (P < .001). Median total operator volume was 29 cases with higher volumes associated with more patient comorbidity and increasing procedural complexity. In-hospital major bleeding (P < .001 for trend), access site complications (P < .001) and coronary perforation (P = .002) all associated with increasing operator CHIP-PCI volumes. However, trends for in-hospital death (P = .394), and 12-month mortality (P = .638) were similar across the volume quartiles.

Standardized reporting systems for computed tomography coronary angiography and calcium scoring: A real-world validation of CAD-RADS and CAC-DRS in patients with stable chest pain.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prognostic implications of standardized reporting systems for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and coronary artery calcium scores (CACS) in patients with stable chest pain. BACKGROUND: The Coronary Artery Disease Reporting And Data System (CAD-RADS) and Coronary Artery Calcium - Data and Reporting System (CAC-DRS) aim to improve communication of CACS and CCTA results, but its influence on prognostication is unknown. METHODS: Images from 1769 patients who underwent CCTA as part of the Scottish Computed Tomography of the HEART (SCOT-HEART) multi-center randomized controlled trial were assessed. CACS were classified as CAC-DRS 0 to 3 based on Agatston scores. CCTA were classified as CAD-RADS 0 to 5 based on the most clinically relevant finding per patient. The primary outcome was the five-year events of fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 58 ±â€¯10 years and 56% were male. CAC-DRS 0, 1, 2 and 3 occurred in 642 (36%), 510 (29%), 239 (14%) and 379 (21%) patients respectively. CAD-RADS 0, 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B and 5 occurred in 622 (35%), 327 (18%), 211 (12%), 165 (9%), 221 (12%), 42 (2%) and 181 (10%) patients respectively. Patients classified as CAC-DRS 3 were at an increased risk of fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction compared to CAC-DRS 0 patients (hazard ratio (HR) 9.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.24, 27.31; p < 0.001). Patients with higher CAD-RADS categories were at an increased risk of fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, with patients classified as CAD-RADS 4B at the highest risk compared to CAD-RADS 0 patients (HR 19.14; 95% CI 4.28, 85.53; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with higher CAC-DRS and CAD-RADS scores were at increased risk of subsequent fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction. This confirms that the classification provides additional prognostic discrimination for future coronary heart disease events.

Long-Term Evolution of Premature Coronary Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND: The long-term evolution of premature coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to describe the evolution of coronary atherosclerosis in young patients and identify the risk factors of poor outcomes. METHODS: Participants age ≤45 years with acute or stable obstructive CAD were prospectively enrolled and followed. The primary endpoint was all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), refractory angina requiring coronary revascularization, and ischemic stroke. RESULTS: Eight hundred-eighty patients with premature CAD were included. They were age 40.1 ± 5.7 years, mainly men, smokers, with a family history of CAD or hypercholesterolemia. At baseline presentation, 91.2% underwent coronary revascularization, predominantly for acute MI (78.8%). Over a follow-up of 20 years, one-third (n = 264) of patients presented with a total of 399 ischemic events, and 36% had at least a second recurrent event. MI was the most frequent first recurrent event (n = 131 of 264), mostly related to new coronary lesions (17.3% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.01; hazard ratio [HR]:1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09 to 1.93 for new vs. initial culprit lesion). All-cause death (n = 55; 6.3%) occurred at 8.4 years (median time). Ethnic origin (sub-Saharan African vs. Caucasian, adjusted hazard ratio [adjHR]: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.13 to 3.35; p = 0.02), inflammatory disease (adjHR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.05 to 2.36; p = 0.03), and persistent smoking (adjHR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.63 to 3.28; p < 0.01) were the strongest correlates of a first recurrent event. When considering all recurrent events, the same factors and Asian ethnicity predicted poor outcome, but persistent smoking had the greatest impact on prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Premature CAD is an aggressive disease despite the currently recommended prevention measures, with high rates of recurrent events and mortality. Ethnicity and concomitant inflammatory disease are associated with poor prognoses, along with insufficient control of risk factors.

Impact of Periprocedural Myocardial Biomarker Elevation on Mortality Following Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to explore the association between biomarker elevation, with creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) or cardiac troponin (cTn), following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and mortality in patients undergoing PCI for stable angina with normal baseline values. BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown a strong association between post-PCI CK-MB elevation and subsequent mortality. However, the prognostic significance of troponin elevation following coronary intervention is still debated. METHODS: Patient-level data from 5 contemporary coronary stent trials and 1 large registry were pooled. Mortality of patients with stable angina, with normal baseline biomarkers, was compared between patients with and those without different cutoff values of cTn and CK-MB. RESULTS: A total of 13,452 patients were included in this pooled analysis. The overall percentage of patients with elevated biomarkers following PCI was 23.9% for CK-MB and 68.4% for cTn. In the patient cohort for whom both assays were available (n = 8,859), 2.4% had both CK-MB ≥5 × the upper limit of normal (ULN) and cTn ≥35 × ULN, while 92% had both CK-MB <5 × ULN and cTn <35 × ULN. Among patients with CK-MB ≥5 × ULN (n = 315), 212 (67.3%) also had cTn ≥35 × ULN. Conversely, 390 of patients (64.8%) who had cTn ≥35 × ULN did not have CK-MB ≥5 × ULN. A total of 259 patients (1.9%) died at 1 year; 20 (7.7%) had CK-MB ≥5 × ULN, and 23 (8.8%) had cTn ≥35 × ULN. In the Cox multivariate analysis, in which the CK-MB and cTn ratios post-procedure were forced into the model, age, prior myocardial infarction, lesion complexity, hyperlipidemia, and CK-MB ratio (≥10) post-procedure were associated with increased 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Following elective PCI in patients in stable condition treated with second-generation drug-eluting stent, CK-MB and cTn elevations remain common. After multivariate adjustment, there was an increased mortality rate with elevation of CK-MB after PCI, whereas cTn elevation was not independently associated with mortality at 1 year.

Individualizing Revascularization Strategy for Diabetic Patients With Multivessel Coronary Disease.

BACKGROUND: In patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD), the FREEDOM (Future Revascularization Evaluation in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Optimal Management of Multivessel Disease) trial demonstrated that, on average, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was superior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for major acute cardiovascular events (MACE) and angina reduction. Nonetheless, multivessel PCI remains a common revascularization strategy in the real world. OBJECTIVES: To translate the results of FREEDOM to individual patients in clinical practice, risk models of the heterogeneity of treatment benefit were built. METHODS: Using patient-level data from 1,900 FREEDOM patients, the authors developed models to predict 5-year MACE (all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke) and 1-year angina after CABG and PCI using baseline covariates and treatment interactions. Parsimonious models were created to support clinical use. The models were internally validated using bootstrap resampling, and the MACE model was externally validated in a large real-world registry. RESULTS: The 5-year MACE occurred in 346 (18.2%) patients, and 310 (16.3%) had angina at 1 year. The MACE model included 8 variables and treatment interactions with smoking status (c = 0.67). External validation in stable CAD (c = 0.65) and ACS (c = 0.68) demonstrated comparable performance. The 6-variable angina model included a treatment interaction with SYNTAX score (c = 0.67). PCI was never superior to CABG, and CABG was superior to PCI for MACE in 54.5% of patients and in 100% of patients with history of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: To help disseminate the results of FREEDOM, the authors created a personalized risk prediction tool for patients with diabetes and multivessel CAD that could be used in shared decision-making for CABG versus PCI by estimating each patient's personal outcomes with both treatments.

Same-Day Discharge After Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights From the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate national temporal trends in same-day discharge (SDD) and compare clinical outcomes with those among patients admitted for overnight stay undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for stable angina. BACKGROUND: Overnight observation has been the standard of care following PCI, with no previous national analyses around changes in practice or clinical outcomes from health care systems in which SDD is the predominant practice for elective PCI. METHODS: Data from 169,623 patients undergoing elective PCI between 2007 and 2014 were obtained from the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society registry. Multiple logistic regressions and the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society risk model were used to study the association between SDD and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: The rate of SDD increased from 23.5% in 2007 to 57.2% in 2014, with center SDD median prevalence varying from 17% (interquartile range: 6% to 39%) in 2007 to 66% (interquartile range: 45% to 77%) in 2014. The largest independent association with SDD was observed for radial access (odds ratio: 1.69; 95% confidence interval: 1.65 to 1.74; p < 0.001). An increase in 30-day mortality rate over time for the SDD cases was observed, without exceeding the predicted mortality risk. According to the difference-in-differences analysis, observed 30-day mortality temporal changes did not differ between SDD and overnight stay (odds ratio: 1.15; 95% confidence interval: 0.294 to 4.475; p = 0.884). CONCLUSIONS: SDD has become the predominant model of care among elective PCI cases in the United Kingdom, in increasingly complex patients. SDD appears to be safe, with 30-day mortality rates in line with those calculated using the national risk prediction score used for public reporting. Changes toward SDD practice have important economic implications for health care systems worldwide.

Successful revascularization versus medical therapy in diabetic patients with stable right coronary artery chronic total occlusion: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The territory of the right coronary artery (RCA) is smaller than that of the left anterior descending artery. Previous studies have reported conflicting results when considering whether stable RCA-chronic total occlusion (CTO) should be reopened. The coexistence of diabetic and coronary artery diseases represents a severe situation. Therefore, we aimed to determine if stable RCA-CTO in diabetic patients was necessary to be reopened. To our knowledge, no studies have focused on this topic to date. METHODS: We enrolled diabetic patients with RCA-CTO who had clinical presentations of symptomatic stable angina or silent ischemia. RCA-CTO was treated with either successful revascularization (the CTO-SR group) or medical therapy (the CTO-MT group). The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Both Cox regression and propensity score matching analyses were used. Sensitivity analysis was performed based on subgroup populations and relevant baseline variables. RESULTS: A total of 943 patients were included: 443 (46.98%) patients in the CTO-MT group and 500 (53.02%) patients in the CTO-SR group. After a mid-term follow-up (CTO-SR: 48 months; CTO-MT: 42 months), we found that CTO-SR was superior to CTO-MT in terms of all-cause death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] [model 1]: 0.429, 95% conference interval [CI] 0.269-0.682; adjusted HR [model 2]: 0.445, 95% CI 0.278-0.714). The superiority of CTO-SR was consistent for cardiac death, possible/definite cardiac death, repeat revascularization, target vessel revascularization (TVR) and repeat nonfatal myocardial infarction. Subgroup analysis confirmed the mortality benefit of CTO-SR by percutaneous coronary intervention (the successful CTO-PCI subgroup, 309 patients in total). While CTO-SR by coronary artery bypass grafting (the CTO-CABG subgroup, 191 patients in total) offered patients more benefit from repeat revascularization and TVR than that offered by successful CTO-PCI. CONCLUSIONS: For stable RCA-CTO patients with diabetes, successful revascularization offered patients more clinical benefits than medical therapy. CTO-CABG might be a more recommended way to accomplish revascularization. Trial registration This study was not registered in an open access database.

Angina Severity, Mortality, and Healthcare Utilization Among Veterans With Stable Angina.

Background Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina severity classification is associated with mortality, myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization in clinical trial and registry data. The objective of this study was to determine associations between CCS class and all-cause mortality and healthcare utilization, using natural language processing to extract CCS classifications from clinical notes. Methods and Results In this retrospective cohort study of veterans in the United States with stable angina from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2013, natural language processing extracted CCS classifications. Veterans with a prior diagnosis of coronary artery disease were excluded. Outcomes included all-cause mortality (primary), all-cause and cardiovascular-specific hospitalizations, coronary revascularization, and 1-year healthcare costs. Of 299 577 veterans identified, 14 216 (4.7%) had ≥1 CCS classification extracted by natural language processing. The mean age was 66.6±9.8 years, 99% of participants were male, and 81% were white. During a median follow-up of 3.4 years, all-cause mortality rates were 4.58, 4.60, 6.22, and 6.83 per 100 person-years for CCS classes I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality comparing CCS II, III, and IV with those in class I were 1.05 (95% CI, 0.95-1.15), 1.33 (95% CI, 1.20-1.47), and 1.48 (95% CI, 1.25-1.76), respectively. The multivariable hazard ratio comparing CCS IV with CCS I was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.09-1.33) for all-cause hospitalization, 1.25 (95% CI, 0.96-1.64) for acute coronary syndrome hospitalizations, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.80-1.26) for heart failure hospitalizations, 1.05 (95% CI, 0.88-1.25) for atrial fibrillation hospitalizations, 1.92 (95% CI, 1.40-2.64) for percutaneous coronary intervention, and 2.51 (95% CI, 1.99-3.16) for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Conclusions Natural language processing-extracted CCS classification was positively associated with all-cause mortality and healthcare utilization, demonstrating the prognostic importance of anginal symptom assessment and documentation.

Routine Fractional Flow Reserve Measurement After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the current gold standard to determine hemodynamic severity of angiographically intermediate coronary lesions. Much less is known about the prognostic effects of FFR measured directly after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aims of this study were to evaluate post-PCI FFR values, identify predictors for a low post-PCI FFR, and to investigate whether a relationship between postprocedural FFR and outcome during 30-day follow-up exists. METHODS AND RESULTS: The FFR-SEARCH (Fractional Flow Reserve-Stent Evaluated at Rotterdam Cardiology Hospital) is a prospective registry in which FFR measurements were performed after PCI in 1000 consecutive patients. All FFR measurements were performed under maximum hyperemia with intravenous adenosine with the Navvus RXi system (ACIST Medical Systems, Eden Prairie, MN). The clinical end point was defined as a composite of death, target vessel revascularization, or nonfatal myocardial infarction at 30-day follow-up. Measurement of post-PCI FFR was successful in 959 patients (96%), and a total of 1165 lesions were assessed. There were no complications related to the microcatheter. A total of 322 ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients with 371 measured lesions were excluded leaving 637 patients with 794 measured lesions for the final analysis. Overall post-PCI FFR was 0.90±0.07. In 396 lesions (50%), post-PCI FFR was >0.90. A total of 357 patients (56%) had ≥1 lesion(s) with a post-PCI FFR ≤0.90, and 73 patients (11%) had ≥1 lesion(s) with a post-PCI FFR ≤0.80 with post-PCI FFR ≤0.80 in 78 lesions (9.8%). Complex lesion characteristics, use of multiple stents and smaller reference vessel diameter was associated with post-PCI FFR ≤0.90. During follow-up, 11 patients (1.8%) reached the clinical end point. There was no significant relationship between post-PCI FFR and the clinical end point at 30-day follow-up ( P=0.636). CONCLUSIONS: Routine measurement of post-PCI FFR using a monorail microcatheter is safe and feasible. Several lesion and patient characteristics were associated with a low post-PCI FFR. Post-PCI FFR did not correlate with clinical events at 30 days.

Elevated plasma cystathionine is associated with increased risk of mortality among patients with suspected or established coronary heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Elevated circulating cystathionine levels are related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death globally. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether plasma cystathionine was associated with mortality in patients with suspected or established coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: Data from 2 independent cohorts of patients with suspected stable angina pectoris (SAP) (3033 patients; median 10.7 y follow-up; 648 deaths) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (3670 patients; median 7.0 y follow-up; 758 deaths) were included. Hazard ratios with 95% CIs per SD increment of log-transformed cystathionine were calculated using Cox regression modeling. Endpoint data was obtained from a national health registry. RESULTS: Among patients with SAP, there was a positive association between plasma cystathionine and death (age- and sex-adjusted HRs [95% CI] per SD: 1.23 [1.14, 1.32], 1.29 [1.16, 1.44], and 1.17 [1.05, 1.29] for total, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality, respectively). Corresponding risk estimates were 1.28 (1.19, 1.37) for all-cause, 1.33 (1.22, 1.45) for cardiovascular, and 1.19 (1.06, 1.34) for noncardiovascular death among AMI patients. In both cohorts, estimates were slightly attenuated after multivariate adjustments for established CHD risk factors. Subgroup analyses showed that the relation between cystathionine and all-cause mortality in SAP patients was stronger among nonsmokers and those with lower plasma concentration of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (P-interaction ≤ 0.01 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated plasma cystathionine is associated with both cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality among patients with suspected or established CHD. The joint risk associations of high plasma cystathionine with lifestyle factors and impaired vitamin B-6 status on mortality need further investigation. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00354081 and NCT00266487.